RSU #34 will adjust contact tracing procedures for the duration of the school holiday, in order to meet CDC guidance while recognizing that many families and staff will be hard to reach. If we learn of a positive case of COVID-19 in our school community, we will continue to trace back to their previous 48 hours to identify close contacts at our schools and on school buses. Please note that 48 hours after school/busing ends on Wednesday extends well into December 24th, Christmas Eve.
We will rely on email notification to get the word out to close contacts; if your contact information has changed please be sure to promptly notify your school office.
Because less information will be available than typical, we anticipate that we will be sending some messages advising that children/staff “may have been close contacts” –reminding families of symptoms to watch for and recommending testing.
We will not have staff available over the holiday to provide advice for specific children’s circumstances; please use the information available through the Maine CDC’s website (links below) and contact your primary care provider with questions.
Please use our COVID hotline to report positive cases of COVID-19 (827-7171 ext. zero). The school offices’ and nurses’ phone/email inboxes may not be checked until school resumes in January. If you are involved in an extra-curricular activity that meets during the holiday, please also be sure to promptly inform the coaches and athletic director.
With COVID spread in Penobscot County and in Maine extremely high, contact tracing incidents are a daily occurrence. We urge our school community to continue conducting daily home screening before students get on the bus or attend school, and we urge our school community to continue erring on the side of caution. If you do learn of a positive case, please let us know promptly. We have seen repeatedly and first hand in our community how sneaky a disease COVID-19 is, causing no or minor symptoms for some, while devasting or ending the lives of others. Please keep helping our community, and our overwhelmed hospitals, by acting with an abundance of caution.
Maine CDC Website: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus/index.shtml
What to do if you have COVID-19: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/documents/Isolation-CO.pdf
What does quarantine mean? https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/documents/Quarantine-CO-v2.pdf
Where can you go to get tested? https://www.maine.gov/covid19/testing